


Teach Me To Love You

by ravagerjae



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Slow Burn, alec is a jerk, football player alec, magnus is a sass master
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 08:05:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7883227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravagerjae/pseuds/ravagerjae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec is the quarterback of the football team, and unless he wants to be benched for the rest of the season, he has to get his grades up.</p><p>Magnus just wants to get into a good college, and tutoring will look good on his application.</p><p> </p><p>(I sincerely hope my story is better than this trash summary. This fic is ongoing, and most likely a slow burn. I have a lot of inspiration for this and I literally want to spend all my time cranking out chapters. Also it's rated E for later chapters because knowing me, I'd forget to change it). This fic is currently on a hiatus, but I am still continuing it. I'm writing the 4th chapter currently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well hey there fandom! I am super excited about this fic. I've actually had quite a lot of inspiration for it. It's based off a thing I did with a dear friend of mine (and I've also been watching an unhealthy amount of Glee on Netflix so that helped). 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this (also it's kinda my first fic for this fandom and I am so intimidated by all the other fantastic writers out there)!

_Everything about this situation sucked. Except for the fact that tutoring was going to be a great addition to his college applications. But of course, Magnus always had the worst luck. Did it have to be Alec Lightwood that he was tutoring?_ _He would have preferred Jace Wayland to Alec any day. Actually no, that was a lie. Alec may be an asshat, but at least he was good to look at._

_Magnus wasn't at all ashamed of who he was. He was proud to be bisexual, and that, combined with his love of makeup and jewelry, made him an easy target for bullies. Specifically football players such as Alec Lightwood. Magnus had known him since middle school, and he had been a jerk then as he was now. But it seemed to have gotten far worse. Oh well, a deal was a deal and he wasn't going to back out of it now._

* * *

 

 

Magnus had been unable to speak to Alec about their tutoring schedule in private, so in between classes, he found himself making his way to the other boy's locker. He stopped for a moment when he realized Alec was with his friends, other members of the football team.  _It's now or never, Bane_.Taking a deep breath, smoothing out the purple button down he was wearing and preparing himself for the crude comments that were sure to be made about him, he walked over.   
  
"Alec?" He asked, making sure to speak louder to be heard above the noise they were all making, "I needed to speak with you about our tutoring schedule. I don't know when your practices are, so I have no idea when you're going to be available."

When Alec didn't look at him, Magnus huffed slightly in annoyance before tapping him on the shoulder, "Maybe you have all day to fool around in the hallway, Alexander, but not everyone does."

Lips curled into a smirk as the boy whirled around, those gorgeous hazel eyes widening in adorable surprise. He was like a puppy. A tall, handsome puppy with a body he wanted to... _No_. He was not going to go there. Not at all. There would be nothing more disappointing than letting his mind conjure up images of what Alexander would look like without the sweaty football jersey, only to have his fantasies ripped away by the disgusting force of reality. 

"Uh, _what_?"Alec's voice snapped Magnus out of his daze and a pout formed on his lips at the harsh tone of the reply he'd received. 

"Are you forgetful as _well_ as horrible in Calculus? My my, it seems I have underestimated how much I was going to have to teach you. A shame, really, but I guess not everyone can have beauty _and_ brains." He murmured, rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, "I'm supposed to tutor you, remember? But seeing as how I prefer my men sweaty from activities that _don't_ include chasing a ball around a field, I need to know when your practices are so that we can work around them."

Oh how Magnus enjoyed watching that pale skin flush about a hundred different shades of red. The reaction was quite a contrast to the rumors that spread through the hallways like a wildfire. 

"You know this freak, Lightwood?"

 _ _Freak.__ While it wasn't the worst insult he'd heard in his life, it was still unpleasant. That was the problem with society. If they didn't understand it or agree with it, they shunned it. If itt was different, it was ridiculed. Magnus was too out there, too flashy. He had been told on several occasions that his sexuality wasn't even real, that it was a phase or an excuse to sleep around with anyone. He was _greedy_ , a whore. Magnus had even been told that it was an abomination, a _disease_. 

" _Excuse_ me." Wrapping his ring laden fingers around Alec's arm, Magnus all but dragged him down the hall to a much quieter spot , "Much better, a bigot free zone. Well, sort of. Now, since I doubt I'll get any information out of you _here_ , you can just put your number in my phone and I'll text you later to discuss when you're free." 

The look on his face when Magnus handed him his phone was one that could only be described as sheer horror. Okay, so maybe his phone case had a bit too much glitter for someone who wasn't really into it. But it wasn't going to kill him, "It's a _phone_ , Alec. It's not going to bite you, and I swear I will only text you if I absolutely have to talk to you."

"Okay, fine, whatever." Alec muttered, snatching the device out of his hands and quickly typing in his information, "But I swear, if you _ever_ contact me for anything other than this stupid tutoring thing, I'm kicking your ass. Got it?" 

"Yes sir." Magnus gave him a salute and a mocking smile before taking his phone and walking away with once last glance at Alec, "I'll see you around, pretty boy." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If he kept his mouth shut, his secret was safe. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if anyone found out that Alexander Lightwood wasn’t as straight as he pretended to be. He wasn’t straight at all, actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god. First of all, I'd like to say thank you so much to everyone who has read this and commented. The response this fic has gotten blows my mind and I am so grateful for all you!! 
> 
> Secondly, I'd love to give a shout out to my girl Natasha for offering to be my beta. This chapter definitely couldn't have been finished without her, so thanks so much Nat! <3

_Pretty boy._ Alec hated being called pretty boy. It reminded him of things he was trying to run away from. _Magnus_ reminded of things he was trying to run away from, things he wanted that he shouldn't want. Things he spent a good chunk of his life trying to hide. Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, he rejoined Jace and Raj.

"What did the fag want?" Raj asked, rolling his eyes and sharing a look with Jace. That word made Alec's skin crawl, but he never said anything, never asked them to stop using it. If he kept his mouth shut, then his secret was safe. He didn't even want to _think_ about what would happen if anyone found out that Alexander Lightwood wasn't as straight as he pretended to be. He wasn't straight at all, actually. 

"Apparently I'm failing Calculus and Coach Garroway is making me see a tutor to get my grades up or I'm benched. I guess Magnus is the only one available, so I really don't have a choice." It was either Magnus, or he'd spend the rest of his senior year watching his team lose, "I'm not happy about this either."

Being tutored by Magnus Bane certainly wasn't going to be anything but difficult. He was everything that Alec couldn't be.  _Proud of who he was_. It was a fact that was thrown in his face everyday, and Alec hated him for it. Nothing good was going to come out of this, that, he knew for sure.

"And he thinks _Bane_ is going to be helpful? Is he not aware that this guy is the very same one who had sex with that hockey player in the janitor's closet last year? Because really, that's probably all he's interested in anyway."

Alec rolled his eyes with an amused snort, "That's just a rumor, Jace. If you believed everything you heard like that, then you'd think that I had a threesome with Maia and that redhead girl you've been eyeing all month."

Jace may not have known his secret, but he at least understood Alec well enough to know that he would never have a threesome with anyone. He liked to think of himself as slightly more romantic than that. Alec actually wanted to fall in love with someone, not sleep with them and walk away like nothing ever happened. It was one of the many reasons he was still a virgin. Only Jace and Isabelle knew that bit of information. of course. Let the school have their rumors and think he had casual sex just like almost any other eighteen-year-old male. It didn't bother him all that much if he was being honest.

"Okay,  _yeah,_ but still. He has more of a reputation than you do and besides, said hockey player he was rumored to have slept with transferred to another school shortly after everyone started talking about it," Jace pointed out, eyeing Alec as if he dared him to refute his statement, "Magnus Bane is notorious for sleeping around. All those people he dated? It's insane."

"And disgusting. I don't think there's anything he isn't into. Men, women. You couldn't _pay_ me enough money to have sex with another guy and _he_ seems to enjoy doing it for free."

"Alright, enough!" Alec exclaimed, exasperated, "I get it, the guy gets around and he swings both ways. I don't want to do this any more than _you_ want me to do this, but it's either I get tutored, or we lose every game for the rest of the season, and a lot of us would forfeit any chance at getting a good scholarship."

This was Alec's future and the future of a lot of his teammates. He wasn't about to let their attitudes about Magnus Bane cost any of them a shot at the professional league. They all relied too heavily on Alec as quarterback for him to be able to just slack off and not have any consequences. Not that he'd slack off anyway, because football was pretty much his entire life. His father was the coach for the New York Jets and it had been Alec's dream since he was ten to play for them and make it all the way to the Superbowl. He couldn't fail now, not when that dream was so much closer to becoming a reality.

"You aren't going to talk me out of this, so don't even try." He kept his voice firm and his expression hard as he spoke, not wanting to hear another argument coming from either of them. This was his problem to deal with. Alec would do just about anything for the people close to him, and the team was family, "Now I have a free period I'm going to go enjoy. I don't want to hear this mentioned again." 

Jace and Raj both muttered something under their breath that Alec chose to ignore as he shouldered his bag and walked away. He wasn't in the mood to discuss Magnus or this stupid tutoring business. He just wanted to win the final game, and make it to college where he could, hopefully, be himself for the first time in his life. Unfortunately, things didn't always work the way he wanted them to. His mind kept drifting back to Magnus and it didn't help that, at that moment, his phone buzzed with a new message.

_Alexander, it's Magnus. I hope this isn't a bad time, but I'm actually done for the day and I was wondering if you wanted to discuss our schedule when you're not busy?_

A heavy sigh fell from his lips and he rolled his eyes at how convenient that was. He felt like he should have known that Magnus got out early. If what everyone said was true, he was planning on graduating a semester or two before everyone else. Alec honestly wished that he could do the same, but his grades weren't good enough and most of his focus was on football anyway. He needed to stay for the whole season in order to be taken seriously by any college scouts that might be watching. 

_I'm not busy now. It's my free period so I was about to head out for a bit._

Magnus' reply was instant,  _Perfect! I'll text you the address of my apartment. Unless you'd rather go somewhere more public? Or perhaps your own house?_

Just the thought of having Magnus in his parents' house made Alec feel sick. His mother would most likely be home and that was not a conversation he was willing to have with her. And the last thing he needed was to be seen in public with him. 

_No, your place sounds good._

Taking a deep breath, Alec glanced back at his phone, going over the Brooklyn address one more time before running shaky fingers through his hair. This was not going to end well at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did he have to be a sucker for pretty things? It never ended well for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is! This chapter took me a while to write. It is emotional, and it made me tear up a little. Oops? Once again I'd love to thank my lovely beta Natasha because I could not have gotten passed my writer's block without her. Much love to you sweetheart <3
> 
> Just a warning for anyone who may be triggered, this does mention rape and past abuse.

Golden brown eyes trailed across the small studio apartment he called home, frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. It was one thing to agree to tutor Alec despite the kind of person he was. It was another thing entirely to offer to do it here, in his home. This apartment was one of the first things that had ever been truly his own and it was his safe space, the place he could allow himself to be vulnerable without prying eyes. If he allowed Alec to come inside, he would be giving up that sense of security. The last, and only, person Magnus had ever invited to his home was his former girlfriend, Camille Belcourt. Giving her a key had been the biggest mistake he had made at that time and he still regretted it to this day.

Alec wasn't Camille though, he was worse. At least she had been kind in the beginning. Yes, she had been distant, and avoided all conversations about love as well as their future together, but she hadn't outright hated him. Alexander Lightwood didn't even know him, yet he hated Magnus with a ferocity that surprised him. It was true that when they had first met, Alec hadn't been as much of a jerk as he was now, but he still hadn't been friendly. Then when Magnus officially came out as bisexual, everything had gone downhill from there. He had almost suspected that Alec was only so antagonistic towards him because he wasn't able to come out himself, and Magnus was rarely wrong about these things, but then he had dated Lydia Branwell for almost two years, and he gave up that thought. It was still possible for Alec to not be straight, but he wasn't holding out any hope for that.

Why he was thinking about this, he didn't really know. Maybe it was because Alec was attractive and Magnus had always been weak to temptation, or maybe it was just that his thoughts were always mocking him. Did it really matter? Perhaps not. Especially since Magnus was quite certain the sudden knocking on his door was Alec.

Composing himself quickly, he moved to open the door. It was indeed Alec, and he was drenched from head to toe. 

"Alexander, you're wet."  _Brilliant observation, Magnus_ , "Is it raining, or did you just decide to have a wet t-shirt contest in the middle of the sidewalk?

The scathing look Magnus got in response told him that his sarcasm was very much unappreciated. It didn't faze him in the slightest, of course. 

"I guess rain and a sense of humor doesn't mix. Oh well." Magnus spoke with a sigh, "I have some towels you can use to dry off. I would have suggested borrowing some clothes, but I don't think you'd like anything I own, and I am not a giant."

"Towels would be just fine." His voice seemed tense, but Magnus didn't think anything of it. After all, Alec had just walked halfway to his apartment in the rain. Brooklyn was annoying on normal, sunny days. But on rainy days? It was even worse. 

Turning away with a slight huff, Magnus went to retrieve a few towels from his bathroom. 

"Why do all the pretty ones have to be so grumpy?" He muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "It makes it a lot harder to keep liking them."

When he returned with two fluffy blue towels, his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Alec kneeling down, fingers scratching behind the ears of his very prickly, very stubborn cat. Magnus frowned when he heard him purring. _Traitor_.

"I see you've met Chairman Meow. Usually he doesn't like strangers. Or anyone, really, other than me."

The smile that spread across Alec's face was something Magnus decided he wanted to see more of, and he was determined to make it happen as often as he possibly could. The expression made him seem less brooding and, dare he think it, even more beautiful.

"I like cats. My little brother has one, Church. He's more like the spawn of Satan than anything else though."

Magnus couldn't help the undignified snort of amusement that escaped at the comment. Alec seemed far more relaxed than he had been moments ago, and a feeling of pride bloomed in his chest. Smile on his lips, he handed him the towel.

"I would offer to let you use my dryer so that you don't have to sit around in a wet t-shirt, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Despite what the rumors say, I am very much a gentleman."

"Is that what you told Camille too?"

The mention of his former girlfriend had unease settling in the pit of his stomach and his expression darkened. Of all the things for Alec to bring up, it had to be her. Of _course_ it did. Magnus had been fooling himself if he thought he could escape the shadow of Camille Belcourt forever, though he would have liked to. 

"I never once laid a hand on her that she did not want. I would never force myself on anyone, Alexander, not after.." He paused, swallowing hard. His past was not an easy thing to think about, let alone speak of to someone who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger, "I'm the result of a union that was far from consensual and my mother and stepfather resented me everyday because of it. My.. my stepfather tried to drown me in the pond behind our farm when I was ten years old, blaming me for my mother's death. I know firsthand the kind of damage rape can do to people, to families. I would never, under _any_ circumstances, put anyone else through that kind of horror."  

When Alec didn't immediately speak, Magnus continued, obvious hurt lacing his tone.

"I was bounced around from foster home to foster home, never staying longer than a few months at a time. No one wanted the quiet child with the tragic past. Some even claimed I deserved what had been done, and that they wished my stepfather had succeeded in drowning me. When I was fifteen, I thought I'd found a family that wanted me. They had the adoption papers ready to sign and everything. Until their daughter caught me kissing my first boy, and just like that, everything was ripped away from me. I fought hard to get emancipated when I was sixteen. No one wanted me and I had absolutely no desire to be tossed back and forth like a used toy that no one played with. While I admit Camille painted a very vivid and believable picture with her words, it's still no excuse for you to bring up a past that has nothing to do with you, and one you don't know the first thing about." 

"Magnus I.."

He didn't give him the chance to speak, cutting him off with a sharp glare, "No, don't. I get it, you were curious. You wanted to know if I'm as much of a _whore_ as everyone claims. I'll admit, I enjoy casual sex and I sleep around. I am _not_ ashamed of that. But I have never once had sex with someone who didn't want it. I am not a monster like my father."

Whatever Magnus had expected to happen, it certainly wasn't Alexander Lightwood standing up, grabbing fistfuls of his silk shirt, and crashing their mouths together in the fiercest, most incredible kiss Magnus had ever had. He hesitated only a moment before responding, fingers tangling in that unruly dark hair he'd been itching to touch for weeks. A gasp of surprise parted his lips at the first swipe of Alec's tongue. Unfortunately the kiss ended almost as abruptly as it started and Magnus couldn't stop the frustrated whine that escaped him. 

"Shit, sorry I.. I should go."

"Alec wait.." When had his voice turned that desperate, pleading?

But Alec didn't stop, didn't even look at Magnus as he all but bolted out of the apartment, leaving him standing there alone. His chest heaved with each breath he took, confusion and longing coursing through his body as his mind tried to process what had just happened.  _Alec had just kissed him_. And then promptly fled as though he'd just realized Magnus had the plague.

Did he mention that this whole situation sucked?

* * *

 

Magnus' mind had been a jumbled mess all through the night and most of the morning. His thoughts kept drifting back to Alec, the kiss, and him running away like a frightened rabbit. Why he was even letting it get to him, he didn't know. Well, he did know, he just didn't want to think about that. He went about his first few classes in a daze, not paying attention to much of what was going on. The only time he focused was during the dance team's latest practice. They had a pep rally and a competition coming up and if they didn't nail this routine, they'd lose out on their chance for the finals in L.A. It was a simple dance, at least for Magnus it was, so it went by relatively quickly. His mind was still distracted, still focused on Alec, as he headed to the showers.

Usually the showers were empty at this time. He was the only one who used them after and it was only because he hated the feeling of dried sweat sticking to his skin. Magnus hummed softly to himself as he turned on the water, waiting for it to get to the correct temperature. He was too lost in thought to hear the sound of the locker room door opening, or the footsteps headed in his direction. It wasn't until he felt the strong, bruising grip on his shoulder that he realized he wasn't alone. Magnus didn't get a chance to speak before he was being shoved against the wall. His eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second as he took in Raj's angry appearance before his lips curled into a smirk.

"I didn't think I was your type, sweetheart."

"The only response he got was a threatening growl and narrowed eyes.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm pinned to a wall, or do I have to guess?"

"Stay away from Alec,  _ _Bane__. You're lucky he's a nice guy and didn't call the cops after that stunt you pulled."

"I honestly don't have a clue what you're talking about." 

"You can quit your little act. It's bad enough that you did it to Camille, but now you try and force yourself on Alec? It's not only disgusting, it's pathetic. If you ever go near him again, I won't go easy on you." 

Magnus remained silent, eyes wide as Raj finally let him go and stormed off. He had already been warned the last time this happened, that if it ever happened again there could be some serious consequences. The only reason he hadn't gotten in major trouble before was the fact that Camille hadn't been the most trustworthy person and they'd never found actual proof. But Alec? No one would argue against his claims. There would be no way that this wouldn't negatively affect his future. If Alec's parents were to hear about this, he could pretty much kiss college goodbye.  

Why did he have to be a sucker for pretty things? It never ended well for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, even it did hurt.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr (ravagerjae) if you have any questions or if you just wanna pop in and say hi. Thank you so much for reading this! It really means the world to me <3


End file.
